Metformin: What is Your Experience? Good, Bad, or Ugly?!

Like many people with heart disease, diabetes and pre-diabetes is a complicating factor. I am considering taking metformin as part of my regimen to lower my steadily increasing HbA1c.

I have heard good things and bad things about it. I have always considered first-hand experience to be the best. If you are taking metformin, what is your experience? Any comments would be appreciated!

41 replies

I have been taking metformin for almost 3 years. I also have read articles lately about it, and good it is for people like me. It has been a great help for me in controlling my diabetes. I like it!!!!!!!!!

Thanks, I just read an article in Prevention magazine that hails metformin as the next wonder drug! But, like all drugs,it works differently for everyone. One of the most powerful things we can do here is to all comment on how different drugs, practices, procedures, etc, work. First-hand experience is the most powerful info!

Hi all I have type do and when I was first diagnosed I was taking 500mg twice a day and it was then increased to 2000 mg twice a day. I stayed sick just about every day. I was having stomach pain and vomiting. finally I was taken off of this and now I'm taking Insulin and Actos. My husband is on metformin and does not have any problems. He even wonder if I was just making it all up..

Hey Yall. I am a t2 diabetic and I take 1000 mg of metformin day. It lowers my sugars nicely with no side effects but a bit of loose bowel. Its not real bothersom. I have been on higher doses of it but was backed down from it. So, it is working.

I was put on metformin about 7 years ago after controlling my diabetes for 15 years without medicine but diet and exercise. They had stopped working which is why the doctor added metformin. I have not had any problems with it at alll and I take 1000 mg twice a day. I also was prescribed glimperide and januvia 2 years ago which are helping to protect the other organs as well as help with the diabetes. So far so good as none have shown any side affects.

I take Metformin 850 mg X 3 times daily. I have had no problems with it. I would love to say that it is controlling my diabetes, but I am on a total of three diabetic meds and not under control. But this is me and not you. There is no one size fits all medication because there are no one size fits all diseases. Good Luck.

I have been a diabetic since Nov 2008. I am on 500 mg of Metformin twice a day. I have had no problem with it. This past Aug when my heart issues started and I was in the hosp my A1C was 7.6 when I was rechecked in Nov it came down to 6.7 a entire point! I also take Cinnamon every morning too. Talk to your doc before doing the Cinnamon.

I had a bad experience with metformin,when I first finded out that I was a diabete I was taking a 1000mg in the moring an eveing. It made me so sick in the stomach and I would throw up an almost bout to pass out. So I told my doctor what was going on when I take the metformin, I was having to run to the bath room all the time. So he say my body had to get uses to taking it,I had head ache pain it was'nt a normal headache that you would have it was different feeling. So a month went by and I was still going through the same thing so he drop me down to one pill still the same thing,so he took me off and put me on Insulin an I hated that but I got use to it. Metformin work's different on everyone some it don't mess with an some it do. hope this is helpfull.

Thanks for the info. SO far, it looks like the expereince has been about 50% good and 50% bad. As I always say, everyone is truly different. It is the basis for my preaching on Informed, Self-directed Healthcare. You cannot simply use the "one size fits all" presecriptions most docs give!

I am not very comfortable with metformin…I'm currently on 2,550 mg daily (850 mg. X 3 per day), at first, during the first three days, the general feeling was very uncomfortable and a bit scary…I felt very different overall…lost my appetite, head ache, and nauseated…then, I decided to quit for 6 months…during my last vist, my doctor told me that he was going to put me on insulin…I told him that I was not ready for insulin…so, he decided to increase from 500 mg. X 3 daily, to what I am taking nowadays…it's been about a month now, and I'm feeling more comfortable with it than before…as far as my hemo-count, last doctor visit was 11.5…3 points increase from 6 months ago…my sugar count also increased from 130 pts. to 300 pts…that's why I now decided to stick it out to see if there will be a decrease during my next check-up in three months…I'm very much new with metformin…sorry I don't have much to share about it…perhaps in three months, I'll be able to have a better idea on how it works with me…

Thank you HeartHawk…I'm glad I joined this community…feels like I am going to learn alot from this group…this is what I have been looking for…some kind of support group to share experiences with…hopefully, we can all learn from each other…thank you again and God bless!

I have been on Metformin for 5 years and have had no problems. I started out at 1000 mgs/day and am now taking 1500/mgs a day. My last A1c was at 6.8 which is down from 8.3 when I first started taking it 5 years ago. I have had no side affects.

went from 8.2 to 5.6 within 5 months at first i was taking 2 of them for about a year thenthen i started taking just 1 of them and i still have same results of staying at 5.6 for ac1 no side effects at all. dont have any trouble taking my bp meds either another words no side effects. guess i'm a person that doesn't have problems with this issue,those are the only pills i take for meds.

I've been taking Metformin since May 2011 when first diagnosised for having Diabetes. My A1C was 11.8 and my last 2 blood test both have been 5.5. I took a 1000mg twice a day, eat a low card diet and exercise. So far no side effects.